


The One Time We Agreed to Fred's Plan (It was a Crazy Idea)

by RL4r



Series: FWP-series w/ Hidashi [3]
Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Not Related, Fluff without Plot, Fred is a total httyd fan pass it on, I have a problem, I once again stole lines from the movie, M/M, Medical Students! AU, Not brothers, Not-Related! AU, Not-brothers! AU, Older Hiro, also Fred is a treasure to be protected pass it on, because yes that's totally a thing, hidashi, now featuring the Callaghans and Krei, or at least I think it's a thing, so in case you're wondering yes all of them were intentional, which by the way are one happy group of colleagues and friends unlike how they were in the film, wow it took a good two weeks to vomit out these 9000 words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-06
Updated: 2015-03-06
Packaged: 2018-03-16 15:20:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3493238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RL4r/pseuds/RL4r
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, life’s greatest curveballs are thrown at you not by your enemies, but by your closest friends. Tadashi had no idea how Fred ever managed to get him and Hiro to participate in one of those “couple challenge” things, but he could definitely say that he was never ever going to subject himself and Hiro to such a thing again. In other news, since when did Hiro start hoarding his stuff without his knowledge?</p><p>And since when did he figure out that Tadashi had a kink for tiny things?! That was CLASSIFIED INFORMATION!! </p><p>3rd installment of the FWP w/ Hidashi series</p>
            </blockquote>





	The One Time We Agreed to Fred's Plan (It was a Crazy Idea)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello it’s me again, with what’s probably going to be the most random one-shot you’ll ever read (but trust me there is structure to my madness I swear! Orz). I still hope you enjoy it though, because this one-shot features a very embarrassed Tadashi, and what’s better than that? Haha I’m a terrible person (oh god this poor boy I love torturing him so much…it’s bad…). 
> 
> I drew inspiration for this one-shot from this broadcasted couple-competition I watched while I was on a cruise to the Bahamas. It was a VERY interesting broadcast, though I admit it must have been embarrassing for the couples to be asked questions like, “Where was the most memorable place you had sex?” lool. Although…I guess the prospect of winning a free vacation is enough to counter-act that level of embarrassment….
> 
> Anyway this particular installment was definitely harder to write than the first two for a variety of reasons (*sobs*), but I felt like it was the best way to lay out the framework for some of my later works down the line in this series (special kudos to people who can catch them tehee ;)). Thus this fic might feel a little…chunky (gah so much more plot than fluff this time whoops)? But I can guarantee that it’s for a good reason. After this fic, the one-shots will once again focus more on Tadashi and Hiro further exploring their relationship and will probably be much shorter and easier to sit through lol. I look forward to all the fluff I’ll be writing! *laughs evilly* Please bear with me in the meantime. <3 Also once again un-beta'd so...I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors. 
> 
> It’s also worth mentioning that even though this is, for the most part, an AU, a lot of characteristics of the supporting cast are kept similar/the same, simply because I don’t have the time to go too deeply into their own individual stories (besides as much as we love them all, c’mon we’re here mostly for Tadashi and Hiro lol). So in Fred’s case, he’s still super rich and lives in a mansion, is an unabashed geek, and has Healthcliff as his one-of-a-kind butler lol. I also share the common headcanon (with many other fanfic writers) that Fred is a student, just not one who has majored in any of the sciences. In this particular AU I suppose you can say he’s majoring in Creative Writing with a minor in Art (super vague lol sorry;;;) but is a major science enthusiast. 
> 
> We’ll see how everyone else fits into this AU as I go along. Lolol;; 
> 
> I’d recommend reading the previous one-shots I’ve written for this series, because this fic alludes heavily to both the first and second installments (not to mention you should be better able to see the method to my madness pwahahaaaaa). This particular story takes place a couple of weeks after “Love and Support Go A Long Way”.

The One time We Agreed to Fred’s Plan (It was a Crazy Idea)

           

            Since the very beginning of their friendship, Tadashi had always known that Fred had his own (how should he put it?) _unique_ way of doing just about anything, whether it be the way he didn’t do laundry for 6 months or the way he insisted that “mi casa” was French for “front door” when it really wasn’t. It was very clear Fred had a very special one-of-a-kind thought process and had a personality that was half “shamelessly-nonchalant” and half “energetically-confident” (was that an oxymoron? But there really wasn’t any other way of explaining it). Quite frankly, this combination made Fred a more formidable foe than even the likes of Gogo (whose personality was 100% “no-nonsense-confident”) when it came to asking people for stuff.

           

            Like would Gogo have ever asked her friends to participate in a “couple-challenge” being hosted at her university because she was interested in winning a limited-edition Zippleback figurine that was supposedly signed by the director of the _How to Train your Dragon_ movie franchise?  

 

            That level of shamelessness was beyond even her.

 

            “Hey, it’s also for _charity_ ,” Fred had said when Tadashi gave him a flat “Are you serious?” look. Tadashi had been helping his aunt close up the café for the night when Fred had popped in (Tadashi didn’t tend to lock the door immediately after the café was closed from business, but only his close friends knew that) and dropped the idea on him. On top of the cleaning he had been doing for the past half-hour, Tadashi had also spent a long day at his new rotation site (internal medicine rotation this time and thus highly stressful), so admittedly he wasn’t in the friendliest of moods at the moment. “For scientific research in advanced physics and robotics! I thought you’d be interested in supporting a cause as cool and important as that.”

 

            “Well, I would be,” Tadashi had said, mind still reeling from the…absurdity (not to mention audacity?) of this particular request. “If it didn’t involve me and Hiro needing to participate in a…couple-challenge was it? What does that have to do with science exactly?”

 

            “Well science is everything and everything is science,” Fred said with a completely straight face. That was Fred’s shameless nonchalance and one-of-a-kind thought process, ladies and gentlemen. “And c’mon, you guys are always up for challenges, and you and Hiro are a couple as far as I know. Don’t tell me you guys weren’t just born to participate in something like this.”

 

            “…Right, b-but Fred, those things have nothing to do with each other?” Tadashi said, pinching the bridge of his nose. He felt an unpleasant headache forming.

 

            “ _Please_ don’t tell me you’re going to crush a poor fanboy’s dream of finally getting himself the limited-edition figurine he has always wanted!”

 

            “But Fred, you’re rich! Can’t you just buy it off Ebay or something?” The more Tadashi thought about it, the more strange everything seemed; why would they offer something like a Zippleback figurine at a charity event for advanced physics and robotics? What were the people from Fred’s university thinking?

 

            “None of the figurines would be _signed_ Tadashi. The signature makes a WORLD of difference.”

 

            “Of course it does…”

 

            “Won’t you think about it? Please?”

 

            And Tadashi, being Tadashi, actually DID think about it, even though it was quite clear he was firmly against the idea since day 1.  He mulled over the request for about two days (when Fred had originally brought up the idea to him on Wednesday, he had mentioned that the event was to take place in a week) before finally asking Hiro about it; after a long week (for the both of them really) of rotations, the two had finally managed to meet up and spend some time together in Hiro’s garage. It was a brisk Friday night (March was unpredictable like that), but thanks to two small portable heaters, the temperature in Hiro’s garage was perfectly comfortable; Tadashi didn’t even need to keep his favorite cardigan on and was happily walking around in a T-shirt.  

 

            “He wants us to do…what?” Hiro had asked from his seat in front of his super computer, also comfortably sporting a T-shirt. It seemed that he was working on a new project, though Tadashi was currently a little too preoccupied with his thoughts to see exactly what his genius boyfriend was tinkering at. He was sitting on the couch near Hiro’s super computer, typing away an order for a whole pizza for the both of them on his own laptop.

 

            “Exactly as I said. He wants us to participate in this “charity event” for scientific research that would feature couples. I’m guessing the couples will be asked certain questions and be judged on how in-sync their answers are to the answers of their significant others. I’ve seen a couple of them back in my high school days when I still turned on the TV from time to time.”

 

            “Uh-huh….sounds….interesting,” Hiro said while pulling up a new image of his project and drawing in adjustments with a trusty stylus. “Is there some kind of grand-prize? I don’t see why people would ever do this otherwise…willingly subjecting yourself to embarrassment I mean.”

 

            “Yeah, there is,” Tadashi said, laughing a little despite himself. “Apparently the prize is a limited-edition Zippleback that’s signed by the director of the _How to Train your Dragon_ movie franchise. Fred’s practically drooling over the idea of getting his hands on it.”

 

            “Well I’m not going to lie, that must be pretty appealing to someone like Fred,” Hiro said, laughing as well. “It’s almost the equivalent of…I don’t know…if you got a shot at getting a baseball cap from your favorite team that happened to also be signed by your favorite player on said team.”

 

            “Oh please don’t put it that way,” Tadashi groaned. He subconsciously placed his right hand on top of his trusty black cap. “It’ll weaken my resolve to say no to him.”

 

            “Awww aren’t you just the sweetest?” Hiro teased, saving his work and subsequently shutting his computer off. He stretched languidly, cracking a couple of his joints.

 

            “You know, me telling Fred ‘no’ is in your best interests too,” Tadashi said, finishing up their order for pizza. He put away his laptop and gestured for his boyfriend to come cuddle with him on the couch. “Because if I don’t, you’re going to be dragged into this mess too.”

 

            “True,” Hiro said, his lips curling in thought. He all but threw himself onto Tadashi, exhaling a content sigh as Tadashi gave him a warm hug in welcome. “But maybe if we scratch Fred’s back now, he can scratch ours back later.”

 

            “You would take that angle on this whole situation,” Tadashi said, half-exasperated and half-impressed. “Always crunching numbers in that big brain of yours.”

 

            “Well to be honest, I’ve been in need of a few new parts for my new project, and money doesn’t just grow on trees.” Hiro muttered a little disdainfully. Tadashi had a brief flashback to the time when they had discussed bringing in sugar and creamer for their horrible coffee back at FL Care; Hiro had joked about being a “poor starving university student” then also.  

 

            “Well I guess that’s all fair and good for you,” Tadashi replied. He pushed the thought of Hiro possibly having monetary problems to the back of his mind. Robotics wasn’t a cheap hobby so he shouldn’t be surprised. “I can see the potential benefits on your side, but what about me? I don’t perceive there being any benefit for me in this particular situation except…I guess having Fred’s eternal gratitude? But c’mon, who asks their friends to do something like this? It’s kind of ridiculous.”

 

            “It is ridiculous,” Hiro agreed. “But hey, I’m sure your friends would do the same for you if the positions were reversed.”

 

            “…Maybe…” Tadashi muttered, his resolve crumbling even more. To be honest, his huge dislike of Fred’s idea mostly hinged on the fact that he didn’t want to force Hiro to do anything against his will; but it seemed that Hiro wasn’t adamantly against the whole thing, so Tadashi supposed that he could roll with it.

 

            “Seriously it’s a little absurd and only Fred could ever get away with asking such a thing,” Hiro said, chuckling a little. “But I’m sure he wouldn’t have asked us if there was some way he could just participate himself.”

 

            “Alright alright,” Tadashi said, smiling despite himself. Hiro seemed intent on accepting Fred’s challenge and who was he to stop him? Besides, he was quite happy that Hiro was being so considerate of their friends; Hiro hasn’t known them for nearly as long as Tadashi had obviously, but he was quickly fitting in. “I’ll text Fred later and say we’re in. I guess as long as we’re in it together, I’ll survive.”

 

            “You do that. Make sure to mention my terms and conditions too.”

 

            “…Right you little con artist you.” Tadashi joked, giving Hiro an affectionate kiss on the cheek. Hiro didn’t even bother denying what Tadashi had said and simply giggled, flashing his adorable tooth gap.

 

            “But remember, no matter what happens…I love you lots ok?” Tadashi said, hugging Hiro close. He knew that it’d take a lot more than some silly couple-competition to rattle the foundations of their relationship, but it still didn’t hurt to be safe and say reassuring words whenever he could. 

 

            “Yeah. I love you lots too Tadashi.” Hiro whispered against Tadashi’s chest. Tadashi leaned down and gave Hiro a light kiss on the forehead in response.

 

            The two spent another couple of minutes cuddling before their pizza arrived; the rest of the night was spent eating delicious pizza and enjoying each other’s company. When Tadashi arrived back home around 12 in the morning, he made sure to send a quick text to Fred regarding his and Hiro’s decision (he chose NOT to mention Hiro’s “terms and conditions” though). He then washed up and climbed into bed, making sure to send a quick “good-night love you lots” text to Hiro before promptly passing out.

 

            It had been a long week after all.

 

***

           

            And that was how Tadashi and Hiro found themselves lined up in a row with a good number of other contestants on stage come Wednesday evening at Fred’s university (the rest of the nerd gang was located somewhere in the audience). It seemed that the event was set up by the college of science/technology of the university (it had some fancy long name that Tadashi couldn’t happen to recall at the moment) specifically; the dean of the college (a man probably in his mid to late 50s) had addressed the audience with a short speech before giving the stage to a young woman by the name of “Abigail Callaghan”.

 

            “Thank you for that introduction Dr. Callaghan,” Abigail walked up to the front of the stage in front of all the contestants. It didn’t take long for Tadashi to put two and two together and figure out that Abigail and Dr. Callaghan must have been related; Tadashi figured that Abigail was probably Dr. Callaghan’s daughter. “It is my honor to host our annual fundraiser for our beloved college! I just wanted to extend my thanks to everyone for always making our event such a great success. All proceeds go directly into purchasing new lab equipment for our students and the college’s funds for sending its wonderful students to competitions around the nation. Our students are among the brightest, so it’s only fair that we try our best to provide them with everything and anything they need to succeed.”

 

            A polite round of applause sounded throughout the audience. When everyone quieted down again, Abigail proceeded with her prepared speech.

 

            “I also just wanted to extend special thanks to everyone in this room that do not actually attend this college or even this university for that matter; I’m very good with faces and I’m seeing quite a few new ones here tonight,” Abigail said. Tadashi saw Abigail glance at him and Hiro specifically and gulped just a little bit. “Whether you’re in the audience or you’re one of our contestants, just know that I, and everyone else in this college, are very thankful for your contribution to our cause, especially considering you’re probably not going to be reaping any benefits personally.”

 

            “So the rules of this game are simple. First, you and your significant other will be asked a set of 6 questions on separate tablets. You will then write down your individual answers and we will file them away into your own special database. This will all be happening off-stage. Afterwards, we’ll bring both you and your significant other out on stage and show you the set of questions your significant other answered on our fancy smart-screen over there,” Abigail said, gesturing to the big screen at the back of the stage.

 

            “A big thanks to Krei-Tech for providing us with quality equipment and a big thanks to Alistair Krei himself for helping this event tonight by doing all the fancy behind-the-scenes action (Krei briefly announced a curt ‘Hello ladies and gentlemen’ over the loud speakers in response to Abigail’s address). I’ll bring him out on stage at the very end so you guys can thank him properly," Abigail continued. "Anyway, you are then to guess what your significant other put down and we’ll see how well you know and understand each other! A ‘ding’ sound will ring if we have a match and a loud ‘bzzt’ sound will ring if we don’t. Do not get too disheartened about failing to guess correctly though, because we also grade you based on the quality and cuteness level of your answers!”

 

            Abigail paused to take a breath. Tadashi would’ve liked to believe that these people were looking for “cute” answers, but he really doubted it. _More like dirty-dark-secret answers_ Tadashi thought, somewhat cynically. Next to him, he heard Hiro whisper an awed, “Wow, the man behind Krei-tech is here? Shut up!” 

 

            “I’d like to stress that this is all for fundraising purposes, so please remember to relax and have fun! But regardless, I need to provide the obligatory disclaimer that if you find out anything unpleasant about your significant other and you subsequently break up, we are deeply apologetic but we are not to be held responsible.”

 

            The crowd laughed at that, and Tadashi felt a brief wave of envy (well it wasn’t their romantic relationship on the line was it so of course they’d laugh at the notion). But he forced the unpleasant thoughts from his mind; he didn’t need them to weigh him down before the event even started. He needed to focus.

 

            “Alright enough talk. You ready to go for a ride Abigail?” Krei’s voice once again rang over the loud speakers.

 

            “Well we’ve invited all these people…might as well give them a show. Will contestants please report to the designated room to start answering questions…”  
  
           

            It was going to be a long night, Tadashi just knew it.

 

***

 

            “Can Tadashi Hamada and Hiro Takachiko please report to the stage for judgment!”

 

            Tadashi and Hiro promptly made their way out onto stage, hand and hand, and sat down on the designated seats on the stage (Tadashi sat on the left seat and Hiro sat down on the right seat). They then busied themselves with clipping on the portable mics that they were given back stage onto the collars of their shirts.

 

            “So which one of you is Tadashi and which one of you is Hiro?” Abigail asked after she saw that Tadashi and Hiro had finished their task.

           

            “Hello everyone. I’m Tadashi Hamada.” Tadashi acknowledged the audience.

 

            “And I’m Hiro Takachiko.” Hiro waved to the crowd. Tadashi squeezed Hiro’s hand and was glad when Hiro squeezed back; they would get through this together.

 

            “Nice to meet you Tadashi and Hiro. So before we start looking at your questions and answers, let’s give everyone a little background about you guys first,” Abigail said, standing between the two of them. “How did you two start dating? Please give us your origin story!”

 

            “We started dating after we finished our rotations at FL Care; we’re both medical students by the way. We bonded over the fact that we had to drink free, but disgusting, coffee that was provided at said site to keep ourselves awake.” Hiro answered. Tadashi nodded in affirmation.

 

            “Yeah the first week at the site was pretty bad, because they gave us nothing to do and we were so bored,” Tadashi explained. “But after I met Hiro, the days at FL Care flew by and I actually had a great, rewarding experience. Guess that’s what good company does for you.”

 

            “Well that’s definitely one I haven’t heard of before,” Abigail said, delighted. The audience clapped politely in the background. “And trust me I’ve heard my fair share of relationship origin stories across the years. But I can tell you that that sounds pretty cute.  What’s better than making the best of a bad situation? Not much I can tell you that. How long have you guys been together?”

 

            “…About a month.” Tadashi answered, sounding more sheepish than he would’ve liked.

 

            “WOW. We have a green couple here folks! You think they have what it takes to win this competition?” Abigail addressed the audience. The audience, for the most part, cheered and clapped, showing their support. _Well that’s a pleasant surprise_ Tadashi thought.

 

            “Well, there’s only one way to find out! We’ll start with Hiro’s questions and have Tadashi guess Hiro’s answers to those questions first. Can I please get the first question on the board?” Abigail requested.

 

            It took a couple of seconds for Hiro’s question to show up on the smart board.

 

_ Question 1 (H): _

_“Where would your ideal date take place?”_

 

            “An ideal date would take place at Hiro’s garage, where he can tinker away at his machines and robots all day. Take-out or pizza would be nice too.” Tadashi answered matter-of-factly. Hiro’s answer flashed briefly across the board and the pair was rewarded with a “ding”. The two shared a quick fist bump.

 

            “Wow even got the take-out and pizza detail down pat. I’m impressed. And I see we have a fellow technology entrepreneur here,” Abigail winked at Hiro, who smiled back. “It’s always great to find fellow ones. Anyways, next question.”

_ Question 2 (H): _

_“In your opinion, what would be the biggest invention of the next century?”_

           

            “Were the answers required to be serious or could it be just about anything?” Tadashi asked. He heard Hiro snort lightly from his left.

 

            “There were no specifications for this question, so just trust in what your gut is telling you Tadashi.” Abigail answered.

 

            “…To be quite honest my gut is telling me that Hiro went in a more comical direction with this question than a serious one. My guess is…a machine that could make an unlimited amount of gummy bears…or something along those lines.”

 

            Hiro’s answer flashed across the board, but neither a “ding” nor “bzzt” sounded.

**If they somehow manage to make gummy bears that are healthy for you but still taste as good as they do nowadays, I wouldn’t have to worry about cavities!! It’d be awesome. **

 

            “Well we have one of those half right/half wrong answers. What do you think folks? Should I give them the points for the answer or no?” Abigail addressed the audience. After a couple of seconds of deliberation, it seemed that the audience was shouting to give Tadashi and Hiro the points (to be fair, it was close enough).

 

            “Well it seems like you guys have the audience’s favor; good for you because that’s not always easy to do! You’ll receive points for that answer Tadashi. Alright, can I have the next question please?”

           

_Question 3 (H):_

_“If you had to describe your significant other in one word, what word would that be?”_

 

            Tadashi chuckled lightly despite himself. He knew there was only one answer to this question.

 

            “What is a ‘Nerd’.” Tadashi answered confidently.

 

            Hiro’s answer showed up on the board, and Tadashi noticed that the word was even typed out in all caps with a couple of exclamation points tacked on. _Getting snarky on me aren’t you Hiro_ Tadashi thought. He briefly turned to his left and blew a quiet raspberry at Hiro; Hiro shot him a look that practically screamed, “Well I was only telling the truth”.

 

            “Alright don’t get too comfortable there Tadashi,” Abigail said teasingly over the audience’s applause. “We go easy on the first couple of questions to lull you into a false sense of security; the questions only get harder from here on out. Please give me question number four!”

 

_Question 4 (H):_

_“If there was one part of your significant other that you could make bigger, what would it be?”_

 

            The audience burst into laughter; in contrast, Tadashi’s face pulled into a scowl. He should’ve figured that there would be a couple of questions like this to purposefully make the contestants uncomfortable.

 

            “Once again, no specifications for this question.” Abigail addressed Tadashi.

 

            “God I…don’t even know where to begin with this question.” Tadashi muttered. He glanced over at Hiro, who was flushing just a little bit.

 

            “Um…I’ll just try my best guess. I think Hiro would want my muscles to be bigger.” Tadashi answered, not confident in the least.

 

            Hiro’s answer showed up on the board, and a loud “bzzt” promptly sounded.

**I’d want Tadashi’s bank account to be bigger, because he deserves nice things. I mean it’d be nice if he can share the wealth with me too but…yeah anyways I’d like for Tadashi to have more money. **

 

            Tadashi (nor the audience for that matter) expected an answer like that; Tadashi promptly hid his mouth behind his hand, not sure if he should laugh or cry (he settled on squeezing Hiro’s hand). Meanwhile, the audience let out a collective “aww” at Hiro’s answer; some people even shouted a few “Man, Hiro did good!” and Tadashi wondered if said people were his friends.

 

            “Well I have to say I’m quite impressed with that answer,” Abigail said over the audience’s loud resounding applause. “Successfully dodged a bullet there didn’t you Hiro? Make sure you give him lots of love after this is over Tadashi, for that answer. You guys are getting brownie points for it. Anyway, next question please.”

 

_Question 5 (H):_

_“Your most memorable date and why.”_

 

            Tadashi flushed against his will, and he was pretty sure Hiro was blushing too. He cleared his throat (because it suddenly felt _really_ dry) before speaking.

 

            “Second date…because um, we kissed for the first time.” Tadashi muttered, pulling his cap down in an attempt to hide his eyes.

 

            Hiro’s answer flashed across the screen, and a “ding” sounded. The audience clapped wildly while Tadashi heard Abigail walk across the stage and stand next to him. _Oh no please don’t_ Tadashi thought.

           

            “That is so precious, isn’t it ladies and gentlemen? C’mon Tadashi,” Abigail said lightly, giving Tadashi a friendly shake. “Don’t be shy! We’re all really happy for you and Hiro!! We hope you share many more loving kisses for days to come.”

 

            Tadashi finally looked up and shot Abigail a hopeless smile (he wasn’t quite sure how to feel about anything at the moment). Abigail flashed him a thumbs up before requesting Krei to show the last question on the screen.

 

_Question 6 (H):_

_“What are some things that your significant other owns that you love to secretly hoard whenever you get the chance and why?”_

 

            “I feel like I don’t actually have anything of any particular value for Hiro to hoard…” Tadashi thought aloud. Hiro once again snorted from Tadashi’s left, though this snort sounded disbelieving and not sarcastic like the first time.

 

            “Think about it more deeply Tadashi,” Abigail offered. “As they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Perhaps you need to think of intangible value instead of tangible value.”

 

            “Well…I think Hiro likes to hoard my laptop. Now that I think about it, maybe I should get him one,” Tadashi said, not even bothering to hide the affection in his voice. Hiro rolled his eyes, much to the amusement of Abigail and the audience. “I think he could really benefit from getting one. It probably gets bothersome that he doesn’t have a portable computer to do work on.”

 

            Hiro’s answer flashed across the board, but neither a “ding” nor a “bzzt” sounded again.

 

**I like to hoard Tadashi’s laptop and…I guess I also like hoarding his favorite cardigan (I purposely don’t remind him to take it with him whenever he leaves my house). It’s a comforting substitute when Tadashi can’t be with me.**

 

            Tadashi turned to face Hiro, his face incredulous; Hiro shot him his trademark shy smile as the audience giggled and cheered. Now that Tadashi thought about it, he hadn’t seen his “favorite cardigan” since the day he was at Hiro’s garage and was talking to him about agreeing to Fred’s plan; he had actually thought it got lost in the wash!

 

            “Care to share what’s flashing through your mind Tadashi? I see the cogs and gears in your head going overtime over there.” Abigail said, raising her eyebrows. Tadashi whipped around to face her.

 

            “I just realized that I thought I had lost my cardigan not too long ago in the wash,” Tadashi explained, his voice slightly panicked. “But now that I think about it, I realized that it was lost around the same time I met up with Hiro in his garage about a week ago. You see, I had worn it that day but I had taken it off when Hiro and I were working because Hiro’s garage was warm enough that I didn’t need it. So now I’m just stuck here wondering if Hiro has been hoarding it all this time without my knowledge.”

 

            “I mean, what will you do if I say that I actually have…been hoarding it?” Hiro asked quietly, his shy voice tugging at Tadashi’s heartstrings. The audience collectively held its breath.

 

            “I mean,” Tadashi muttered, feeling very small all of a sudden; he felt like he was being put on the spot. “I’d like to have it back of course. B-but if you ever want to hold onto it for a day or two, you can always just ask me instead of secretly hoarding it. Oh man…this is _so_ embarrassing…”

 

            The audience roared in laughter, but cheered for Tadashi (who was now sporting a _very_ red blush) all the same; some people were even standing up and applauding. It took a good solid minute before Abigail was able to mark the end of Tadashi’s turn (he got the points for the question and more “brownie points” for his reaction by the way) and request for Tadashi’s first question to be shown on the smart board so that Hiro could start guessing. Hiro gave Tadashi a reassuring pat on the shoulder before he turned his attention to the question. 

 

_ Question 1 (T): _

_“What do you love most about your significant other? Provide two things; at least one of them has to be a physical aspect of your significant other.”_

 

            Hiro spared a quick look at Tadashi, hoping to get some kind of subtle sign from him. Tadashi just shrugged helplessly, still blushing furiously. He was slowly recovering, but still didn’t have enough mental capability at the moment to aid Hiro.  

 

            “Hm… Well I’m assuming Tadashi didn’t give two examples of a physical aspect he likes about me,” Hiro said. He looked very determined to get this right. “So I’m going to say he loves me for my brains and he loves my eyes.”

 

            Tadashi’s answer flashed across the board, but neither a light ding nor a loud buzz sounded. After quickly glancing over the answer, everyone could see why: similar to Tadashi, Hiro had only gotten part of the answer right.

 

**The thing I love most about Hiro is his incredible intelligence (he’s going to change the world with his inventions let me tell you). For the physical aspect, I guess what I love most is his adorable tooth gap… **

            A collective wave of laughter once again passed through the audience. Tadashi blushed all over again, his face scrunching up in embarrassment; he looked over at Hiro and shot him a slightly apologetic look (though Hiro could tell that Tadashi was being completely honest in his answer). Hiro fought to control his own blushing, his heart rate escalating just a little bit.

 

            “Well then that’s definitely another one I’ve never heard of before,” Abigail said over the audience. She was smiling softly. “Well can we get a quick look at this ‘adorable tooth gap’?”

 

            One of the many cameras that were taping this event zoomed in on Hiro’s face, and a quick shot of Hiro’s front teeth was broadcasted on the board over Tadashi’s answer. The audience muttered their approval, and they applauded once again. Hiro coughed slightly, a little unsure if he should feel flattered or offended by Tadashi’s choice.

 

            “Hiro only got part of this question right, but you know what? Because of the adorable tooth gap he just showed us and because Hiro’s a fellow nerd like us, we’ll just give the question to him (the audience shouted their approval on this decision). Alright next question.”

 

_ Question 2 (T): _

_“If you could have one super power, what would that super power be?_

            “Hmm,” Hiro pondered briefly. “Tadashi has never really talked about this before. But if I had to venture a guess…I’d say that he’d probably want some kind of super power related to healing.”

 

            Tadashi’s answer flashed across the board, and a light ding sounded; the audience applauded.

 

            “I can totally see Tadashi wanting super powers like that,” Abigail nodded. “I mean, why else would he dream of becoming a doctor right? Alright, next question.”

 

_ Question 3 (T): _

_“What is one flaw you perceive that you have and do you perceive that your significant other dislikes that particular part about you?”_

 

            “Ok this one’s easy to answer,” Hiro said confidently. He shot Tadashi a half affectionate half exasperated glance. “Tadashi worries that he nags me...like he worries about being overbearing sometimes.  And knowing Tadashi, yes he perceives that I dislike this about him. But I’d like to mention that I don’t actually _really_ mind it, despite what I say most of the time.”

 

            Tadashi’s answer flashed across the screen, and they were rewarded with another “ding”. After another round of applause (and some sparse “awwws”) from the audience, the next question was on the screen.

 

_ Question 4 (T): _

_“If there was one outfit you could choose for your significant other to wear, what would it be?”_

 

            “Uh…what kind of an outfit are we talking about here…?” Hiro asked, suspicious. Tadashi felt a little part of him wither in embarrassment; this was practically equivalent to Hiro’s fourth question, though Tadashi couldn’t find a clever way to answer it.

 

            “There weren’t any specifications for this question. Sorry Hiro, you’re going to have to narrow it down yourself.” Abigail replied, keeping her voice perfectly neutral (Hiro had to give her props for that).  

 

            “Alright… I really have no idea,” Hiro muttered. “Let’s just take a wild guess. I’m guessing a school girl uniform because I know I have the body for that.”

 

            Some select members of the audience wolf-whistled at that; on Tadashi’s end he coughed uncomfortably (well Hiro definitely wasn’t WRONG about having the body for it Tadashi supposed, though Tadashi had never thought about it until now). Tadashi’s answer flashed across the screen, and a “bzzt” sounded out.

 

**I think Hiro would look really cute in the cat-boy waiter outfit my aunt made me wear sometimes on special occasions when I worked at her café. **

 

            “Oh sorry Hiro,” Abigail said teasingly. “Guess you had to get one of these questions wrong eventually. But maybe you should get into one of those cat boy outfits that Tadashi likes so much yeah?”

 

            “M-Maybe I will.” Hiro shot back, his face red. Tadashi would’ve laughed along with the audience and Abigail if he wasn’t feeling slightly mortified himself.

 

            “Alright, next question.”

 

_ Question 5 (T): _

_“If you had to choose one person other than your significant other to date, who would you date? You can narrow this question down to your shared group of friends if you have one.”_

 

            “Wow this isn’t even trying to be subtle is it?” Hiro asked sarcastically. Tadashi found their said group of friends in the audience and hoped that they could see the apologetic look on his face. He hoped that neither he nor Hiro would unintentionally hurt any of their feelings.

 

            “This one’s hard…because Tadashi loves all of our friends so much,” Hiro muttered, mostly to himself. “But if I had to just guess one…I’d say Honey Lemon.”

 

            Tadashi’s answer flashed across the screen and they were rewarded with a “ding”.  Tadashi filed a mental note to discuss this with his group of friends and stress how he was NOT picking favorites in any way; he figured that Hiro was probably thinking the same thing. There were a couple of yells from the audience demanding pictures of this mysterious “Honey Lemon” but Tadashi was forever grateful that Abigail either didn’t hear them or chose to ignore them. There was no need to drag their friends’ identities into this mess.

 

            “We have arrived at the last question! Let’s see if Hiro can go for a 5/6. That wouldn’t be a bad score at all, especially when you combine it with Tadashi’s 5/6 and the quality points these two have accumulated as well.”

 

_ Question 6 (T): _

_“Do you have any kinks? Don’t you even think of writing you don’t have any because we all know that would be blatantly lying, and we will not tolerate such a thing here. ;)”_

 

            A low “Oooooooooooh” resonated from the audience. Hiro should’ve figured that they’d save the “best” question for last; he suddenly felt like he was going to be sick. He spent a couple of seconds pondering, trying his best to not look Tadashi in the eye. He didn’t really need to try though, because Tadashi was busy trying to find some way to sink into the floor and escape; the last thing Tadashi wanted to do was to look Hiro in the eye.  

 

            “I haven’t the slightest idea….Uhh… I guess Tadashi might have a thing for…small things? Because he likes to cuddle cats,” Hiro said, his voice getting softer and softer until he was practically whispering. “Not to mention I’m tiny too…so…”

 

            A good portion of the audience cooed at Hiro’s answer while a good portion of the audience also wolf-whistled. Meanwhile, Tadashi’s soul was practically leaving his body; he had briefly (like, _REALLY_ briefly) considered putting that down as an answer, but he considered it to be more classified information than the answer he had submitted for the question. It made his stomach sink to know that Hiro was definitely aware, to a certain degree, about how much he loved how tiny Hiro was compared to him when they hugged or cuddled. It was supposed to be a secret damn it! How had Hiro found out his secret? _God just let me die now_ Tadashi thought.

 

            After a few seconds, Tadashi’s answer flashed across the board and a “bzzt” was sounded.   

 

**I have a thing for when Hiro gets really snarky/sassy. I guess I just really like it when Hiro’s in his own element…is that weird?**

 

            “Wow this is almost too much for even me to take,” Abigail said, placing her free hand over her heart as the implications Tadashi’s answer sunk in. The audience was _eating_ it up. “Tadashi has a thing for his boyfriend being comfortable in his own personality! If that’s not true love I don’t know what is folks. Hiro might have gotten this question wrong, but Tadashi deserves some high quality points for this answer doesn’t he?”

 

            The audience all but shouted their approval (Tadashi was sure he heard Fred yell out a happy “YEAHHHHH!!” at the top of his lungs) for Tadashi to get additional points. From Tadashi’s left, Hiro whispered another quiet, embarrassed “oh no”, so very similar to the time when they were sharing their first kiss. _We both need to get off this stage, pronto_ Tadashi thought miserably.

 

            “And that marks the end of our judgment of these two fine gentlemen tonight! Can we all just give them another round of applause please for being such great contestants?” Abigail said, clapping herself. She appeared genuinely impressed. “You guys may have only been together for a month, but we can all see the love and respect you guys have for one another. We wish you many more happy days together!”

 

            Tadashi and Hiro somehow managed to find the strength to stand up and take a short bow. They took off their clip-on mics and handed them back to Abigail before hurrying off the stage. The audience clapped loud and long, even after the two had made their escape to the brisk night air through a side exit.

 

            Once outside, Tadashi and Hiro walked rapidly away from the building they were just in and didn’t slow down until the applause of the audience became nothing but whispers in the wind.    

 

***

 

            “I’m going to _kill_ Fred…”

 

            “Agreed.”

 

            Tadashi and Hiro were technically supposed to return to the waiting room where all the other contestants were, but the two decided they needed to get some air after that slightly traumatic experience. There were still a few other contestants that needed to “be judged” anyway, so it was unlikely that they’d miss the award ceremony; besides, Tadashi really needed to calm his racing heart down or so help him he was probably going to bury himself under a rock and never come out.

            Hiro and Tadashi walked until they reached what Fred had called the “Great Lawn” of the campus when they had made their way to the building where the event was being held. Tadashi checked to see if the grass was wet, and discovering that it wasn’t, spread himself flat as if he was making a snow angel, releasing a deep sigh. Hiro chuckled lightly as he laid down himself, propping his head up on Tadashi’s outstretched right arm. The two gazed up at the dark sky, looking at the stars and any airplane that happened to pass by; needless to say, they were hardly paying attention to said stars and airplanes and were instead thinking about every horrible moment that happened to them in the span of the past hour.

 

            “Do you think we even have a chance of winning?” Hiro asked the dreaded question they were both thinking after a couple of minutes of silence. Tadashi pulled his left arm into a shrug, his face scrunching.

           

            “No idea. I mean TECHNICALLY we got a majority of our questions right and got “brownie points” but…we have no benchmark to compare our score to.”

 

            “Yeah…”

 

            “Well, I guess if all of the people at the event thinks the way Fred does, I guess we have a good chance?”

 

            “…But Tadashi…no one else could ever think like Fred…” Hiro pouted.

 

            “…True…His brain is very…unique to say the least.”

 

            “Are you implying that we went through all that suffering for nothing?” Hiro asked. He sounded offended (yet so cute at the same time somehow), and if Tadashi wasn’t feeling so down himself, he would’ve teased Hiro about it.

 

            “Pfftt…I think we knew in our hearts that there was a good chance of that happening to begin with…” Tadashi said, looking at Hiro.

 

            The two stared at each other for a brief moment before they burst into uncontrollable laughter; the more the two thought about it, the more their whole situation seemed downright hysterical, in more ways than one.

 

            “Unbelievable…” Tadashi said after he caught his breath from laughing. He was just so done with everything; all he wanted to do now was go home and curl up in his blankets with Hiro and pretend that the whole thing didn’t happen.

 

            “On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate our pain?” Hiro asked rhetorically, hiding his face against Tadashi’s chest.

 

            “A good solid ten,” Tadashi said, his tone containing just the slightest amounts of bitterness. “At least we don’t go to this school. We have no business with them anymore after today. Let’s just avoid this campus for the next couple of weeks or something.”

 

            “But Tadashi, we can’t avoid our friends! They were there too!”

 

            “…Didn’t think of that…”

 

            “This just keeps getting better…”

 

            The two was so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t notice said friends coming up from behind them. Tadashi and Hiro were made aware to their presence only when the trademark flash from Honey Lemon’s trusty phone reflected off the ground and temporary blinded them. They sat up and turned to see the nerd gang behind them (Fred was _conveniently_ missing though).

 

            “They LOVED you guys. You guys were AMAZING.” Honey Lemon gushed happily; she was practically a ball of happy giddy energy. If anyone else had said such a thing besides Honey Lemon, Tadashi and Hiro probably would’ve wrung their neck; but the two ended up just muttering a tired, nonchalant “thanks” in response (there was an unspoken rule that you do NOT burst Honey Lemon’s optimism when you could avoid it). With a grunt, Tadashi stood up and pulled Hiro up afterwards.

 

            “Seriously though, you guys weren’t bad,” Gogo said, popping her gum. “I’m actually most impressed with the fact that Tadashi didn’t just collapse half-way through. By the time his turn ended, he had started looking like how Wasabi looks when I take his wrench from his work desk.”

 

            “Which by the way, you should REALLY stop doing because you know, I HAVE A SYSTEM, and…SOCIETY HAS RULES.” Wasabi replied, indignant. Gogo simply smirked at him.

 

            “But anyway, no avoiding us you two.” Gogo added, her tone allowing no arguments. Tadashi and Hiro sighed (there was _another_ unspoken rule that you do NOT try to argue with Gogo’s no-nonsense attitude when you could avoid it).

 

            “Can we still kill Fred? Or did you not hear that part?” Tadashi asked.

 

            “Now now Tadashi, there’s no need for that,” Honey chiding Tadashi softly. Then she returned to her bright smiley self. “He just wanted the best for you and Hiro! I mean, who wouldn’t want some brand new robot parts and tickets to the next robotics showcase Freddie’s university is hosting?”

 

            Tadashi and Hiro both shot Honey Lemon utterly confused looks. Honey’s smile fell just a little.

 

            “You guys didn’t know about all that? Freddie didn’t tell you?” she asked. Tadashi and Hiro shook their heads. She subsequently pulled out a neatly folded flier from her purse and handed it to Tadashi. Tadashi, with Hiro glancing over his arm, quickly perused the information on the flier. There was no mention of a Zippleback figurine anywhere, though there was a mention about robot parts (killer actuators specifically) and tickets to a robotics showcase.

 

            “Fred had told us…well just me technically…that the grand prize was something…completely different,” Tadashi explained. He was too tired to explain the whole Zippleback thing again. “But then again, the grand prize you’re telling me about right now fits this whole charity event more than what Fred had said earlier. I was really wondering about that and I guess I’m glad that my suspicions have been officially confirmed.”

 

            “But why would Fred lie about something like that?” Hiro asked, genuinely perplexed.

 

            “Guys I think we’re forgetting about who we’re talking about here. It’s Fred. Do we need any further explanation than that?” Wasabi asked rhetorically. The group of friends shared a quick laugh, because they all knew it was true.

 

            “Where is Fred anyway?” Tadashi asked his friends. He was still a little peeved that Fred had lied to him and Hiro (though his reason for doing so remained unclear), but he definitely didn’t feel nearly as “bloodthirsty” as he had before. After all, the prize seemed like something Hiro would be very interested in, and that just about wiped away all feelings of resentment.

 

            “He stayed behind in the auditorium to ‘snoop out the competition’.” Gogo explained, making quotation marks in the air.

 

            “But we personally saw no reason to stay and watch the competition anymore because we only came for you guys, so we left shortly after you guys finished,” Honey Lemon supplemented. “But it’s good that he stayed behind to monitor the event. We’d hate it if the award ceremony started without you guys because you guys were so good! You really might have a shot.”

 

             “If you say so…” Hiro replied. Honey Lemon nodded excitedly.

 

            “Oh by the way guys….about that weird question earlier…” Tadashi started but then couldn’t quite find the words to proceed.

 

            “Oh that’s cool,” Wasabi said, catching Tadashi’s drift (and he was really grateful for it). “We know that these competitions try to purposely stir up trouble sometimes and that you were put on the spot. Besides, to be completely honest, if I had to guess who you had put down, I would’ve guessed Honey Lemon too.”

 

            “Me too,” Gogo agreed. “Can’t say for sure, but Fred would probably have said the same thing too.”

 

            “Aww shucks guys…now I’m just embarrassed…” Honey Lemon said, blushing. She promptly pulled both Gogo and Wasabi into a loving hug, which the two gladly returned.

 

            “Well I’m glad we got that out of the way…” Tadashi said, smiling slightly at Hiro. Hiro smiled back at him.

 

            It was at that moment that Honey Lemon’s phone rang; unsurprisingly, it was Fred calling. After a brief conversation (consisting mostly of excited exclamations of, “I know, right?!” and happy giggles) Honey Lemon hung up.

 

            “Freddie’s calling us to go back to the auditorium. I guess it’s time for us to head back.”

 

            “Already? Well, I guess we might as well get it over with…” Tadashi muttered. As the group of friends started walking, Tadashi took hold of Hiro’s hand; in response, Hiro interlaced their fingers together.

 

            “Freddie mentioned that he really feels good about this. None of the subsequent couples got as much love from the audience as you guys apparently.”

 

            “That’s all well and good but we can’t forget that Fred is biased.” Wasabi said, ever the pragmatic one of the group.

 

            “Well hey, if anything I’m sure Fred could always just get us passes to that showcase or whatever.” Gogo said, shrugging.

 

            “Yeah it’s still really weird how convoluted this ‘plan’ of his is when it could’ve been as simple as just getting us tickets himself. I’m sure the students here are all offered the opportunity to get them…”

 

            Tadashi and Hiro trailed behind the rest of their friends as they bickered back and forth, both of them deep in thought. That was just the question though: what exactly was Fred thinking when he brought this up to them? What exactly were his motives?

 

            Well, they were going to find out soon enough.

 

***

 

            The rest of the night happened in a blur. By some miracle of the universe, it did appear that no other couple was as beloved (read as “entertaining”) as Tadashi and Hiro were, so the two found themselves standing center stage, receiving a round of applause for being the “grand winners” of this year’s fundraiser (Honey Lemon and Fred were practically going crazy in the audience).  A lot of awkward picture taking and hand-shaking (with people Tadashi hoped that he’d never have to see again) followed before the audience was finally asked, by Abigail, to clear out of the building. Tadashi could not express how thankful he was that the award ceremony was kept private (admittedly it was a little strange that it was, but hey considering how strange everything had been lately, was there any point in questioning it?).

 

            Afterwards, Abigail brought Tadashi and Hiro backstage and formally introduced the two to Dr. Callaghan and even Alistair Krei, who was the one actually providing the grand prize. At first, Krei had made to give the gift (he was simply giving away an envelope with what Tadashi assumed would contain the passes and a voucher of sorts for the machine parts) to Tadashi but Tadashi shook his head and gestured to Hiro.

           

            “He’s the robotics genius between the two of us,” Tadashi had explained. “He has much more uses for the parts than I ever will.”

 

            “My mistake,” Krei had said smoothly, shifting his attention to Hiro. “Well Hiro, I hope you’ll find great uses for all the parts I’m going to give you; I’ll be shipping them directly to your house address. Perhaps you’re working on something now that you’d be willing to submit to our showcase later this year? Krei Tech is always looking for the next big invention. I haven’t seen your work firsthand, but considering everything Tadashi has said about you, I’d like to assume it’s worthwhile?”

 

            “Thank you Mr. Krei,” Hiro said, accepting the gift from him. Tadashi noticed that there were small stars dancing in his boyfriend’s eyes; guess Krei was a pretty big-shot in the world of robotics.  “I do have a couple of projects I’m working on at the moment, but it’s not always easy juggling my personal research with getting my M.D. degree. And to be completely honest, getting my M.D. degree is my top priority at the moment.”

 

            “Ah I understand. Well that’s fine,” Krei replied. “Then we’ll pass for this year. Just keep the idea of being an active participant at the showcase sometime in the back of your mind.”

 

            “It’s also worth noting that students wanting to enter our college have to present a project at Krei’s showcase,” Dr. Callaghan stepped into the conversation. “I don’t know how much longer you have to work towards your M.D. degree Hiro, but it couldn’t hurt for you to try applying here if you’re interested in pursuing research in technology and robotics.”

 

            “Not to toot his horn or anything,” Abigail added. “But my dad here is the one you’d want to impress if you want to get in. If he likes your tech and you give a great presentation about it, you’re in. But remember, he’s invented a lot of tech himself and has seen a lot through the years, so make sure it’s innovative.”

 

            “Ah yes, I still remember when Robert over here presented his first robot that featured magnetic bearing servos. The scientific community was eating it up.”

 

            Tadashi didn’t remember much of the conversation after that (he sort of just tuned it all out because it didn’t really apply to him), but he did remember Hiro practically imploding because he discovered that he was actually speaking with _the_ Robert Callaghan, who was apparently some world-renowned roboticist. They had then proceeded to talk about projects Hiro had done during the time he was pursuing his master degrees (“Wow with all that under your belt you’re still pursuing an M.D. degree?” Abigail had asked) and some bits and pieces of information regarding what he was tinkering at in his garage (of course Hiro didn’t disclose all his trade secrets because that wouldn’t have been smart) now. Needless to say, by the time Tadashi and Hiro finally made to leave, Hiro had just added a few, very important people to his professional network. It was quite an unexpected and unbelievable turn of events, if Tadashi did say so himself. Tadashi suddenly felt like everything wasn’t so bad after all.

 

            And just as suddenly, Fred’s logic didn’t seem all that difficult to understand anymore.

 

***

           

            “So, how is my favorite M.D. student, slash Lucky Cat Café employee doing?” Fred asked as he sauntered through the front door of Lucky Cat two days after the whole “couple-competition” debacle (though to be fair, it had ended on a good note).

 

            Tadashi looked up from the table he was cleaning at the sound of Fred addressing him. Once again, it was a little past closing and Tadashi was helping Aunt Cass clean up some of the tables and the floor of the café.

 

            “Hey Fred. Tired as usual…long week again at rotations…but otherwise ok.” Tadashi replied lightly.  

 

            “I was just with Hiro at his garage,” Fred said as he pulled out a chair for himself and sat down. “Seems like he’s finally wrapping up the project he’s been working on.”

 

            “Oh is he? Can’t wait to see what the little genius has come up with.” Tadashi said affectionately.

 

            “Oh yeah, this is for you. Hiro told me to give it back to you.” Fred said, pulling something out of his backpack. Tadashi saw that it was his favorite cardigan, neatly folded with a small note tucked under the collar.

 

            “I still can’t believe he hid this from me,” Tadashi said, shaking his head. The note could wait until later.  “He’s such a little sneak.”

 

            “Yeah, but hey we all keep secrets.”

 

            “Like how you kept the true grand prize of the competition a secret from just Hiro and I?” Tadashi couldn’t help but teasingly ask. He cocked an eyebrow at Fred, demanding an explanation.

 

            “Oh yeah, THAT. Well, I had figured that you guys would be…how should I say it, more ‘relaxed’ in the competition if you thought the prize you were going to win wasn’t all that important anyway,” Fred explained. “I think that’s why the other contestants didn’t do nearly as well as you guys. They were too focused on trying to get all the points they could get so that they could win but…that backfires because you can’t force love!”

 

            “That’s a very….interesting way of seeing it,” Tadashi said, once again not even trying to understand how Fred’s mind exactly worked. “But I never had a chance to really thank you for everything you did for Hiro. I mean, it’s a little embarrassing that the first impression they had of us was that we’re goofy nerdy boyfriends, but still, it must be good for Hiro to have had a chance to talk to Dr. Callaghan and Krei. So, thanks Fred.”

 

            “You’re very welcome, my man.”  
  
            “Anything I can do to repay you?”

 

            “Hit me up with some free food sometime. Nothing’s better than free food,” Fred said casually. Tadashi chuckled lightly. “Unless it’s moldy…so just make sure it’s not moldy.”

 

            “Don’t worry Fred, it won’t be.”

 

            “Alright, now that that’s settled, I’m going to get going and leave you to whatever you need to finish up with. Goodnight.” Fred said, getting up from his seat. The two friends shared a warm handshake and a quick shoulder bump; soon, Tadashi was once again left to his own devices in the café.

 

            Tadashi cleaned for another half an hour before he went upstairs to his room; he placed his beloved cardigan onto his computer desk before grabbing a towel and clothes for his shower. After showering and brushing his teeth, he climbed into his bed and turned on his phone to call Hiro.

 

            “Hello Tadashi,” Hiro picked up on the second ring. “I’m assuming that Fred gave you back your nerdy cardigan?”

 

            “It may be nerdy but clearly someone liked it enough to hide it from me.” Tadashi said, laughing lightly.

 

            “I don’t know why I ever answered that question truthfully,” Hiro sounded so very disappointed in himself. “You would have never had known.”

 

            “But I would’ve been very sad, thinking I had lost it.” Tadashi said, pouting. He didn’t even have to see Hiro’s face to tell that his boyfriend was rolling his eyes at him.

 

            “I would have _totally_ lost sleep over a sad Tadashi.” Hiro replied back teasingly. Tadashi chuckled lightly.

 

            “But I’m very glad you answered truthfully. It means that I found myself a boyfriend who has a conscience.” Tadashi teased right back. Tadashi marveled at how much of a routine teasing was becoming in their relationship, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

 

            “And a boyfriend who has an adorable tooth gap and would look cute in a cat boy waiter outfit. Aren’t you lucky?” Hiro added cheekily. Tadashi blushed slightly despite himself.

 

            “Hiro…” he whined, the human equivalent of a kicked puppy. Hiro laughed airily.

 

            “But hey, I found myself a boyfriend who’s a loving supportive dork, so I guess I’m pretty lucky myself. Not a lot of people can handle my snarky personality after all,” Hiro said softly. “And no one has ever said that they…actually _liked_ my snarkiness either.”

 

            “Well it’s their loss,” Tadashi said warmly. He wished that Hiro was with him right now so he could hug him close. “Because it’s really something quite special.”

 

            “Ugh you’re such a nerd,” Hiro said, though Tadashi could tell Hiro was super embarrassed. “Alright it’s getting late and we should get some well-earned rest. Goodnight Tadashi.”

 

            “Goodnight Hiro.”

 

            “Oh by the way, read the note I left in your cardigan. Love you, bye.” Hiro said before Tadashi could respond. Shaking his head affectionately, he placed his phone on his nightstand before getting out of his bed to go to his computer desk. He found his cardigan (still folded the way it was when Fred had given it to him) and pulled out the small note he had seen earlier but hadn’t bothered reading until Hiro had insisted for him to do so.  

 

            It turned out that it wasn’t so much a note as it was a small picture (taken by a polaroid camera). Tadashi took a quick look at it and promptly turned a very deep shade of red: it was a picture of Hiro sporting his cardigan (thank GOD Hiro was wearing a shirt underneath though), the cardigan all but coming off his much smaller boyfriend’s shoulders. Hiro had one of his arms raised against his face (much like the multiple Maneki-neko* figurines Aunt Cass kept around the cafe), the sleeve of the cardigan covering his hands; Hiro was also smiling in a way that perfectly showed off his tooth gap. Heart racing, Tadashi turned the picture around to see if there was anything written on the back.

 

“Look at how **tiny** I am in your cardigan…;))” – Hiro

“Photo credit goes to the one and only Fred(zilla)” – Fred

 

            Well, Tadashi was **_never_** going to live this one down…

 

            …Maybe he should really consider burying himself under a rock and never coming out.

 

 

*FIN*

 

 

*Maneki-Neko – the beckoning cat figurines you often see in the windows of Asian shops/restaurants; super lucky and super cute

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note:  
> It is a firm headcanon of mine that Fred is Tuffnut reincarnated in a different universe (I mean they’re both voiced by T.J. Miller what could you possibly expect lol). Thus Fred would love anything and everything related to Zipplebacks. <3
> 
> Also as a random side note, the question “What part of your significant other would you make bigger” was a legitimate question asked from the cruise broadcast. It was really funny because two out of three guys (these were the younger guys by the way) answered “bank account” and “free time/rest time”. Then you have this 70 year old guy who’s just like, “her breasts”…like total long hair no curr moment (the really funny part is that his wife guessed it right while the wives of the other husbands didn’t guess right, but honestly it’s not surprising because the way the question was asked, you’d think it was asking for something physical). 
> 
> But anyway, so… did you guys spot anything in this story that you’ll think will be further expanded upon in later installments? Feel free to comment and guess! ;)  
> Kudos / comments / suggestions are always appreciated! You guys are the best. <3


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